The United Way of Metropolitan Dallas says its goal is to drive social change. And when it comes to issues related to health care, the organization says it sees technology making the biggest impact.
On Tuesday, 10 entrepreneurial and institutional ventures took the pitch competition stage at the local nonprofit's newly created Health Innovation Technology Challenge. A collective $1 million in prize funding was up for grabs to help the winners launch their solutions in the region.
"Now, more than ever, we must leverage innovative, forward-thinking technology to improve access and equity in health care," said Anne Chow, CEO of AT&T Business and two-time chair of United Way's Annual Campaign, in a press release.
In the entrepreneurial venture track, the companies taking home a $200,000 prize were
- Dallas' Greenlight Credentials, an educational record securing and sharing platform that won for its software suite VitalSign6, which helps measure and treat mental illness in students
- Atlanta-based Insight Optics, which operates a mobile eye exam platform
- OneSeventeen Media, an Austin-based developer of mental health chatbot platform reThinkIt!.
Winners of the entrepreneurial track will also receive consultation support from C1 Innovation Labs, a Dallas-based center, to incubate and develop new products. In June, the organization announced a partnership with Capital Factory and Blue Cross, and Blue Shield of Texas to identify and test solutions developed by Texas health care entrepreneurs and startups that will help serve the BCBSTX community.
"The issue of health impacts everyone, from individuals and their families to entire businesses and communities," said CEO Jennifer Sampson in the release. "To improve access and equity in health care, we must all work together to find solutions to our greatest challenges."
Two organizations took home $150,000 for their tech tools.
- Children's Health for its mental health-focused mobile app BeeHive
- Parkland Health and Hospital System for its gamified social interaction platform for at-risk youth
The other finalists of the challenge – UT Dallas' Callier Center for Communication Disorders, MyPHI, River Health, Texas Health Resources and UT Arlington's Center for Addiction and Recover Studies – received a $20,000.
The local United Way said the funding would help all of the finalists in the challenge roll out the technology and services, most geared towards students throughout the North Texas region.
"Sustained good health enables individuals to thrive, which in turn, enables families as well as entire communities and businesses to succeed and grow," Chow said. "Given the health challenges of the past 18 months, we know that a comprehensive approach to well-being is critical for pushing our community forward so the entire region can continue to flourish."
